Mud flap

ABSTRACT

Mud flap having a plurality of laterally spaced, vertically extending vanes defining a plurality of vertically extending channels on the front side of the flap for directing water and debris from a wheel in a downward direction toward the roadway and not to the rear or sides of the flap, and vertically extending slotted openings in the channels of a size permitting air to pass through the openings to the rear of the flap and preventing water and debris from doing so. In some embodiments, vertically extending deflectors are positioned to the rear of the slotted openings for directing any water and debris passing through the openings in a downward direction toward the roadway.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of Invention

This invention pertains generally to motor vehicles and, moreparticularly, to a mud flap for preventing spray from the wheel of avehicle on a wet roadway from impairing the vision of drivers of othervehicles.

2. Related Art

Mud flaps are commonly employed on trucks and other large vehicles toblock the spray of water, mud, and other debris from wheels on a wetroadway and prevent that spray from impairing the vision of the driversof other vehicles. Such flaps are typically in the form of relativelylarge, rectangular rubber panels which are hung vertically behind thewheels to block the spray. The effectiveness of such flaps is diminishedwhen air flow causes them to swing back in an upward direction away fromthe wheels, and the weight and wind resistance of the flaps can alsoreduce the operating efficiency of the vehicle.

Heretofore, there have been some attempts to avoid the disadvantages ofsolid rubber mud flaps by providing mud flaps which are lighter inweight and allow air to flow through them. However, those flaps canstill deflect water, mud, and other debris off to the side and into thepaths of other vehicles.

OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is, in general, an object of the invention to provide a new andimproved mud flap for preventing spray from the wheel of a vehicle on awet roadway from impairing the vision of drivers of other vehicles.

Another object of the invention is to provide a mud flap of the abovecharacter which overcomes the limitations and disadvantages of mud flapsheretofore provided.

These and other objects are achieved in accordance with the invention byproviding a mud flap having a plurality of laterally spaced, verticallyextending vanes defining a plurality of vertically extending channels onthe front side of the flap for directing water and debris from a wheelin a downward direction toward the roadway and not to the rear or sidesof the flap, and vertically extending slotted openings in the channelsof a size permitting air to pass through the openings to the rear of theflap and preventing water and debris from doing so. In some embodiments,vertically extending deflectors are positioned to the rear of theslotted openings for directing any water and debris passing through theopenings in a downward direction toward the roadway.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of one embodiment of a mud flapaccording to the invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged, fragmentary top plan view of the embodiment ofFIG. 1.

FIGS. 3 and 4 are enlarged, fragmentary cross-sectional views takenalong lines 3-3 and 4-4 in FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a splash diagram illustrating the flow of water and air in theembodiment of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged, fragmentary horizontal sectional view, similar toFIG. 3, of another embodiment of a mud flap according to the invention.

FIG. 7 is a front elevational view of another embodiment of a mud flapaccording to the invention.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged, fragmentary top plan view of the embodiment ofFIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged, fragmentary side elevational view of theembodiment of FIG. 7.

FIG. 10 is an enlarged, fragmentary lower rear isometric view of theembodiment of FIG. 7.

FIGS. 11 and 12 are enlarged, fragmentary horizontal sectional viewstaken along lines 11-11 and 12-12 in FIG. 10.

FIG. 13 is a splash diagram illustrating the flow of water and air inthe embodiment of FIG. 7.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As illustrated in FIGS. 1-4, the mud flap comprises a generallyrectangular panel 16 having a front side 17 which faces the wheel and arear side 18 which faces away from the wheel when the mud flap isinstalled on a vehicle. Throughout this disclosure and claims, the term“wheel” is used generically as including both the tire which engages theroadway or ground and the rim or wheel on which the tire is mounted.

A plurality of vertically extending channels 19 are formed betweenlaterally spaced vanes 21 on the front side of the panel for carryingwater, mud and other debris in a downward direction and preventing itfrom being thrown into the path of other vehicles. The vanes aretapered, with the lateral surfaces 22 of the vanes on opposite sides ofeach of the channels being inwardly and rearwardly inclined relative toeach other to direct air, water and debris into the channels. The frontedges, or noses, of the vanes are rounded. In one presently preferredembodiment, the surfaces are inclined at an angle on the order of 7degrees to a plane perpendicular to the panel, with the surfaces at thesides of each channel intercepting an angle on the order of 14 degreestoward the rear of the panel. The vanes are spaced apart by acenter-to-center distance on the order of 0.5 inch and extend on theorder of 0.25 inch from the front side of the panel. However, it will beunderstood vanes can have any degree of taper and height that willfunnel the air, water, and debris into the channels and prevent it frombeing thrown off to the sides of the flap.

Slotted openings 24 in the rear walls 26 of the channels permit air toflow through the mud flap. These openings are disposed end-to-end invertically extending rows, and each of the openings has a pair ofinwardly and rearwardly inclined side walls 27 which are spaced apart bya distance that permits air to pass through the opening while preventingwater and debris from doing so. In embodiment illustrated, side walls 27are inclined at same angles as the side walls 22 of the channels (e.g.,7 degrees) and are spaced apart by a distance on the order of 0.156 inchat the front of the openings and 0.125 inch at the rear. The openingsare on the order of 2.75 inches in length and are spaced apart by adistance on the order of 0.25 inch.

Mounting pads 28 are provided near the upper end of the panel, withholes 29 in the pads for receiving bolts (not shown) used in attachingthe mud flap to a vehicle.

The mud flap is fabricated as a unitary structure by a suitable processsuch as injection molding. It is formed of a high density polyethylenematerial that can withstand road abuse and extreme weather conditionsand is also lighter than rubber.

In use, the mud flap is mounted in a vertical position to the rear of awheel, with channels 19 and vanes 21 facing the wheel. Water and debristhrown up from the road by the wheel impact upon the side walls 22 andrear walls 26 of the channels, as illustrated in FIG. 5. Water and airstriking the inwardly and rearwardly inclined side walls are deflectedtoward the rear walls, with the angles of deflection being substantiallyequal to the angles of incidence, i.e. 7 degrees in the example givenabove.

Being heavier than air, water and debris tend to travel in straightlines, and when they strike the rear walls, they stop and then flow in adownward direction within the channels toward the ground. Instead ofdropping when it hits the rear walls, the lighter air continues totravel laterally until it is blown or drawn through the slotted openings24 in them. Because of the narrow width of the openings, relativelylittle water and debris can escape through them. Thus, the air and waterare effectively separated in the channels, with the air flowing outthrough the slotted openings and the water and debris flowing downthrough the channels to the ground where it will not form spray cloudsor impair the vision of the drivers of other vehicles.

The protruding vanes prevent water and debris from being deflected tothe sides of the mud flap, while their inclined side surfaceseffectively funnel the water and air into the channels and keep itthere. Moreover, since the inclination of the side walls is only a fewdegrees from the path of the water and air striking the flap, splashingis significantly reduced.

The embodiment of FIG. 6 is similar to the embodiment of FIGS. 1-4, theonly difference being the inclination of the side walls of the slottedopenings. In this embodiment, rather than being inclined inwardly towardthe rear of the openings, side walls 27 diverge toward the rear, withthe openings being wider at the rear than at the front. With thisorientation of the side walls, water and debris entering the slots ismore easily dislodged due to the larger opening in the rear.

The embodiment of FIGS. 7-12 is similar to the embodiment of FIGS. 1-4in that it has a plurality of vertically extending channels 31 betweenlaterally spaced vanes 32 on the front side of the flap, with slottedopenings 33 in the rear walls 34 of the channels. The vanes and openingsare similar to the vanes 21 and slotted openings 24 in the firstembodiment, with the lateral surfaces at the sides of the channels andthe side walls of the openings being inwardly and rearwardly inclined atsimilar angles. In this embodiment, however, the slotted openings extendsubstantially the full length of the channels rather than having aseries of shorter openings in each channel. Mounting pads 36 withelongated openings 37 are provided toward the upper end of the flap.

Vertically extending deflectors 38 are positioned to the rear of slottedopenings 33 for directing any water and debris passing through theopenings in a downward direction toward the ground. The deflectors aresupported on one side by side walls 39 which extend from the rear wallsof the channels at the same angles as the side walls of the slottedopenings. Side walls 39 are coplanar with the side walls of the slottedopenings, and together they form a continuous inwardly and rearwardlyinclined surface which extends between the rear wall of the channel andthe one side of the deflector.

The other sides of the deflectors are supported by a plurality ofbridges 41 which extend between the rear walls of the channels and thedeflectors. These bridges are spaced vertically apart along the slottedopenings and the deflectors, with the spaces between them being open toform air outlets 42. In the embodiment illustrated, the arrangement ofthe side walls and air outlets is such that side walls and outlets areon opposite sides of adjacent channels, with the air outlets foradjacent channels facing each other on the rear side of the flap.

The slotted openings and deflectors begin several inches below the upperedge of the flap, with a flat surface 44 above them on the rear side ofthe flap to facilitate mounting the flap on a vehicle.

As in the embodiment of FIGS. 1-4, the mud flap of FIGS. 7-12 is formedas a unitary structure of a suitable material such as a high densitypolyethylene material, and it is fabricated by a suitable process suchas injection molding.

Operation and use of the embodiment of FIGS. 7-12 is similar to thatdescribed above in that water and debris tend to strike the walls of thechannels and be directed in a downward direction, whereas air tends tofind its way out through the slotted openings. In this embodiment,however, any water and or debris that does pass through the slottedopenings will tend to strike side walls 39 and deflectors 38 and bedirected in a downward direction toward the ground. At the same time,side walls 39 and deflectors 38 will direct air through outlets 42 tothe rear of the flap.

The invention has a number of important features and advantages. Itseparates air, water and road debris thrown up by a tire or wheel anddirects the water and debris to the ground while allowing the air topass through the air outlets. It is 50% lighter than a rubber flap,keeps the tire cooler, and improves fuel efficiency of the vehicle whilereducing vision blurring clouds on wet roads. It is also stronger than arubber flap and can take more road abuse, and it is made of a materialthat can handle extreme weather conditions. The vanes stiffen the flapand minimize the curl-up to enhance the downward flow of the water anddebris. Moreover, with the unique structural design of the flap, thecontinuous agitation provided by the warm mixture of air and water fromthe rotating tire dislodges any debris attached to the flap.

It is apparent from the foregoing that a new and improved mud flap hasbeen provided. While only certain presently preferred embodiments havebeen described in detail, as will be apparent to those familiar with theart, certain changes and modifications can be made without departingfrom the scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A mudflap for preventing spray from a wheelof a vehicle on a wet roadway from impairing the vision of drivers ofother vehicles, comprising a vertically extending flap which is mountedto the rear of the wheel with a front side of the flap facing the wheeland a rear side facing away from the wheel, a plurality of laterallyspaced, vertically extending vanes defining a plurality of verticallyextending channels on the front side of the flap for directing water anddebris from the wheel in a downward direction toward the ground and notto the rear or sides of the flap, and vertically extending slottedopenings in the channels of a size permitting air to pass through theopenings to the rear of the flap and preventing water and debris fromdoing so.
 2. The mudflap of claim 1 wherein the vanes are tapered withlateral surfaces of the vanes on opposite sides of the channels beinginwardly and rearwardly inclined to direct water and debris into thechannels.
 3. The mudflap of claim 1 wherein each of the slotted openingshas a pair of rearwardly and inwardly inclined side walls.
 4. Themudflap of claim 1 wherein each of the slotted openings has a pair ofrearwardly and outwardly inclined side walls.
 5. The mudflap of claim 1wherein the slotted openings are arranged end-to-end in verticallyextending rows in the channels between the vanes.
 6. The mudflap ofclaim 1 including vertically extending deflectors positioned to the rearof the slotted openings for directing any water and debris passingthrough the openings in a downward direction toward the ground.
 7. Themudflap of claim 6 including a side wall between one side of each of theslotted openings and a corresponding one of the deflectors, with airoutlets between the other sides of the slotted openings and thedeflectors through which air passing through the slotted openings canflow.
 8. The mudflap of claim 1 including mounting pads in an upperportion of the flap for use in attaching the mud flap to the vehicle. 9.A mudflap for preventing spray from a wheel of a vehicle on a wetroadway from impairing the vision of drivers of other vehicles,comprising a vertically extending flap, a plurality of laterally spaced,vertically extending, tapered vanes with inwardly and rearwardlyinclined lateral surfaces that define a plurality of verticallyextending channels for carrying water and debris striking the front sideof the flap in a downward direction, and vertically extending slottedopenings with inclined side walls which permit air to pass from thechannels through the flap and prevent water and debris from doing so.10. The mudflap of claim 9 wherein the lateral surfaces of the taperedvanes on opposite sides of the channels intercept angles on the order of14 degrees toward the rear of the flap.
 11. The mudflap of claim 9wherein the side walls of the slotted openings intercept angles on theorder of 14 degrees toward the rear of the flap.
 12. The mudflap ofclaim 9 wherein the side walls of the slotted openings intercept angleson the order of 14 degrees toward the front of the flap.
 13. The mudflapof claim 9 wherein the slotted openings are arranged end-to-end invertically extending rows in the channels between the vanes.
 14. A mudflap for a vehicle, comprising vertically extending vanes spacedlaterally apart on the front side of the mud flap, vertically extendingchannels between adjacent ones of the vanes for carrying water anddebris in a downward direction with the vanes preventing the water anddebris from being deflected in a lateral direction, vertically extendingslotted openings in rear walls of the channels of a size permitting airto pass through the mud flap and preventing water and debris from doingso, deflectors aligned with the slotted openings on the rear side of themud flap, a side wall extending between one side of each of the slottedopenings and a corresponding one of the deflectors for directing anywater and debris passing through the slotted opening in a downwarddirection, and air outlets between the other sides of the slottedopenings and the deflectors through which air passing through theslotted openings can flow.
 15. The mud flap of claim 14 wherein thevanes are tapered with the lateral surfaces of each of the vanesintercepting an acute angle toward the front of the vane.
 16. The mudflap of claim 14 wherein each of the slotted openings has a pair ofinwardly and rearwardly inclined side walls, the side wall extendingbetween the one side of the slotted opening and the deflector iscoplanar with the side wall of the opening, and the deflectors areparallel to the rear walls of the channels.
 17. The mud flap of claim 14including a plurality of vertically spaced apart bridges interconnectingthe rear wall of the channel on the opposite side of each of the slottedopenings and the corresponding deflector, with the air outlets beingformed between the bridges.
 18. A mudflap for preventing spray from awheel of a vehicle on a wet roadway from impairing the vision of driversof other vehicles, comprising a vertically extending flap which ismounted to the rear of the wheel with a front side of the flap facingthe wheel and a rear side facing away from the wheel, a plurality oflaterally spaced, vertically extending vanes defining a plurality ofvertically extending channels on the front side of the flap fordirecting water and debris from the wheel in a downward direction towardthe ground and not to the rear or sides of the flap, and verticallyextending slotted openings in the channels of a size permitting air topass through the openings to the rear of the flap and preventing amajority of the water and debris from doing so.
 19. A mudflap for avehicle comprising a vertically extending flap that is mounted at anupper edge thereof behind a vehicle wheel and extending downwardlytherefrom, the flap comprising a plurality of laterally spaced channelson a front side thereof, the channels having rear walls at rear sides ofthe channels and spaced, sidewalls at sides of the channels, the rearwalls having slots formed therein that extend through the rear walls ofthe channels, the slots having side edges that are spaced away from thesidewalls of the channel such that water flowing rearwardly through themudflaps along channel sidewalls strikes the rear walls of the channelsat the side edges and is deflected by the side edges.
 20. The mudflapaccording to claim 19 wherein the sidewalls of the channels forward ofthe rear walls comprise vanes.
 21. The mudflap of claim 20 wherein thevanes, channels, and slots are vertically extending.
 22. The mudflap ofclaim 19 wherein the flap directs water and debris in a generallydownward direction when in use.
 23. The mudflap of claim 20 wherein thevanes are tapered, with lateral surfaces of the vanes on opposite sidesof the channels being inwardly and rearwardly inclined to direct waterand debris into the channels.
 24. A mudflap as in claim 19 wherein thevanes are spaced apart center to center by about 0.5 inches, and thevanes extend outwardly about 0.25 inches from the rear wall of thechannels, the sides of the vanes being inclined at an angle of about 14degrees between the opposing sides of the vanes.
 25. A mudflap forpreventing spray from a wheel of a vehicle on a wet roadway fromimpairing the vision of drivers of other vehicles, comprising avertically extending flap which is mounted to the rear of the wheel witha front side of the flap facing the wheel and a rear side facing awayfrom the wheel, a plurality of laterally spaced, vertically extendingvanes defining a plurality of vertically extending channels on the frontside of the flap for directing water and debris from the wheel in adownward direction toward the ground and not to the rear or sides of theflap, and vertically extending slotted openings in the channels of asize permitting air to pass through the openings to the rear of the flapand substantially preventing water and debris from doing so.